Last Friday, I participated in Ladies Night at Piedmont Piano.
Originally 5 pianists, including Annie Sajdera, were slated to perform, but sadly, Annie wasn't able to join us on this event. I opened the night with a couple of "classical" piano works: Schumann's Davidsbündlertänze #10 Balladenmäßig, and Rachmaninoff Etude in Ebm Op. 33 #5, both passionat, fiery works that I had lots of fun performing. Next on the schedule was classical / cabaret pianist Allison Lovejoy, performing a series of classical works, including one of my favorite: Ravel's Jeux D'eau. I'd love to get that music back in my fingers. Practice...
Next was Socorro de Castro, performing a group of jazz tunes, including standards and originals, and a country tune! She was followed by Debbie Poryes in a delicate set of standards.
Allison came back to the stage to perform some original cabaret music, including an ode to her grandmother about pills... hilarious!
Finally, I closed the night with 4 of my original tunes. I've never really performed many of my own tunes, so this was a moment of a bit of nervousness for me (a true rarity), but it went well. More than a few people told me that the songs were beautiful, and even tear inducing. Wow! I can't wait to perform them with my trio : >
Tuesday, June 07, 2011
Sunday, June 05, 2011
Another amazing Hiromi performance
What a magical night of music! I went to see Hiromi perform at Yoshi's in San Francisco, this time with bassist Anthony Jackson and drummer Simon Phillips, both musical legends. As always, Hiromi's brilliant, beautiful, fiery and creative playing brought me to tears, not once, but twice. In her I see the culmination of my life's goal of achieving musical fluency and total freedom. Admittedly, I am well along the path, considering that I'm a mere mortal, but I long to attain the level of technical, philosophical and expressive prowess displayed by demi-gods and goddesses like Hiromi and her cohorts.
From sublimely delicate to head bobbing funk to wild, multi-metered abandon, the music was thrilling and inspiring. I didn't want it to end! After the concert, I had the opportunity to spend time speaking with the musicians, and gained an even higher level of respect for them. So many of the brilliant artists that I've met over the years are not only incredible musicians, but they possess astute general intelligence as well, are steeped in musical history, able to identify composers, performances, conductors, including knowledge of dates, eras, the minutiae of recordings and speak with authority about musical genres outside of those for which they're famous. I spoke for 20 minutes to both Anthony Jackson and Hiromi about the Rachmaninoff Etudes Tableaux and Concerti and sang melodies with them from various classical works. The range of their knowledge is nothing short of astounding. Being in their presence energized me and at the same time made me feel like a slacker; like I just need to work harder, smarter and become the musician and person I believe is laying somewhat dormant within me (underneath the busy work that occupies too much bandwidth in my brain). I want to be able to wax eloquent on the distinctions between the Horowitz and Argerich recordings of Rach #3; to retain more of the history of music (which I did learn at one point) and the people to whom that history is attributed; to remember Opus numbers and, for that matter, names of tunes! So embarrassing when I can't remember commonly known titles...sigh...
But, not to bash myself too harshly for not being a musical lexicon, the overriding theme of the night was inspiration. Once again I was inspired to do more, be more, and always to embrace the blessings at hand. Can I get an AMEN!??
Anthony Jackson
Simon Phillips
Hiromi
From sublimely delicate to head bobbing funk to wild, multi-metered abandon, the music was thrilling and inspiring. I didn't want it to end! After the concert, I had the opportunity to spend time speaking with the musicians, and gained an even higher level of respect for them. So many of the brilliant artists that I've met over the years are not only incredible musicians, but they possess astute general intelligence as well, are steeped in musical history, able to identify composers, performances, conductors, including knowledge of dates, eras, the minutiae of recordings and speak with authority about musical genres outside of those for which they're famous. I spoke for 20 minutes to both Anthony Jackson and Hiromi about the Rachmaninoff Etudes Tableaux and Concerti and sang melodies with them from various classical works. The range of their knowledge is nothing short of astounding. Being in their presence energized me and at the same time made me feel like a slacker; like I just need to work harder, smarter and become the musician and person I believe is laying somewhat dormant within me (underneath the busy work that occupies too much bandwidth in my brain). I want to be able to wax eloquent on the distinctions between the Horowitz and Argerich recordings of Rach #3; to retain more of the history of music (which I did learn at one point) and the people to whom that history is attributed; to remember Opus numbers and, for that matter, names of tunes! So embarrassing when I can't remember commonly known titles...sigh...
But, not to bash myself too harshly for not being a musical lexicon, the overriding theme of the night was inspiration. Once again I was inspired to do more, be more, and always to embrace the blessings at hand. Can I get an AMEN!??
Anthony Jackson
Simon Phillips
Hiromi
Friday, May 27, 2011
Victoria Theodore: June Performances
Morning rain ....
Gently plays her rhythmns on your window pane
Giving you no clue of when she plans to change
To bring rain or sunshine
And so you wait to see what she'll do
Is it sun or rain for you...
"Summer Soft" – Stevie Wonder
Ok, really? Rain again? Is anyone else more than a bit tired of the rain in the Bay Area? Well, given that I'm mostly vegetarian, I shouldn't complain about conditions that will yield much bounty in my garden later in the season, but...it's time for sundresses and sandals! Sunscreen and sunglasses! Get it? Sun, sun, sun, sun! Well, I suppose I'll have to make do with going to Greece with Stevie this June to get my sunshine! Woohoo! (Opa! Traditional celebratory Greek dance movement suddenly ensues...)
May was a great month of performance. Stevie did a few private fundraising events, and was kind enough to include me in the small group of band members. I had the chance to see the private home of a billionaire (um...wow! Most beautiful home EVER), got to meet David Foster, Bradley Cooper and MR. ROBERT DENIRO!!! You talkin' to me????
I stayed in NYC a few days after one fundraiser and spent time with family and friends, took a dance class, went salsa dancing, met and listened to some amazing musicians, including Gretchen Parlato, Robert Glasper, Taylor Eigsti, Meleni Smith, Bridget Barkan and Lenny Harold. Good, good, good times, folks... ; >
I was so inspired by my trip to NYC that I came home ready to get to work on my own project. I've made some najor adjustments to my schedule, remind myself daily of what it's going to take to get to the "next level" and have been consistent...for once!! : > Yay! I've got a performance on June 4 in Oakland where I'll be performing a couple of the tunes that have potential to get on the CD. My strategy is to write FAR too many songs and choose from the best of the bunch, all the while trying songs in public to see which go over best with the audience and which cling closest to my heart/soul.
Here are my upcoming performance listings. Check out the calendar for updates, and I hope to see you at a show!
Fri, Jun 3
6:30pm - 81:30pm
E-22 Café
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
1366 Powell Street Emeryville, CA 94608 | 510.428.9334 | map
Sat, June 4
8pm
Ladies Night
featuring outstanding local pianists
Piedmont Piano Company
Socorro de Castro -- Allison Lovejoy -- Debbie Poryes -- Annie Sajdera -- Victoria Theodore, Piano
1728 San Pablo Oakland, CA 94612 | 510.547.8188 | map
$15
Sat, June 18
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map
Sat, Jun 25
8pm
Stevie Wonder
Special Olympics Summer Games - Opening Ceremony 2011
Kallimarmaron Panathenaikon Stadium
Vasileos Konstantinou Avenue
Athens Greece
Gently plays her rhythmns on your window pane
Giving you no clue of when she plans to change
To bring rain or sunshine
And so you wait to see what she'll do
Is it sun or rain for you...
"Summer Soft" – Stevie Wonder
Ok, really? Rain again? Is anyone else more than a bit tired of the rain in the Bay Area? Well, given that I'm mostly vegetarian, I shouldn't complain about conditions that will yield much bounty in my garden later in the season, but...it's time for sundresses and sandals! Sunscreen and sunglasses! Get it? Sun, sun, sun, sun! Well, I suppose I'll have to make do with going to Greece with Stevie this June to get my sunshine! Woohoo! (Opa! Traditional celebratory Greek dance movement suddenly ensues...)
May was a great month of performance. Stevie did a few private fundraising events, and was kind enough to include me in the small group of band members. I had the chance to see the private home of a billionaire (um...wow! Most beautiful home EVER), got to meet David Foster, Bradley Cooper and MR. ROBERT DENIRO!!! You talkin' to me????
I stayed in NYC a few days after one fundraiser and spent time with family and friends, took a dance class, went salsa dancing, met and listened to some amazing musicians, including Gretchen Parlato, Robert Glasper, Taylor Eigsti, Meleni Smith, Bridget Barkan and Lenny Harold. Good, good, good times, folks... ; >
I was so inspired by my trip to NYC that I came home ready to get to work on my own project. I've made some najor adjustments to my schedule, remind myself daily of what it's going to take to get to the "next level" and have been consistent...for once!! : > Yay! I've got a performance on June 4 in Oakland where I'll be performing a couple of the tunes that have potential to get on the CD. My strategy is to write FAR too many songs and choose from the best of the bunch, all the while trying songs in public to see which go over best with the audience and which cling closest to my heart/soul.
Here are my upcoming performance listings. Check out the calendar for updates, and I hope to see you at a show!
Fri, Jun 3
6:30pm - 81:30pm
E-22 Café
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
1366 Powell Street Emeryville, CA 94608 | 510.428.9334 | map
Sat, June 4
8pm
Ladies Night
featuring outstanding local pianists
Piedmont Piano Company
Socorro de Castro -- Allison Lovejoy -- Debbie Poryes -- Annie Sajdera -- Victoria Theodore, Piano
1728 San Pablo Oakland, CA 94612 | 510.547.8188 | map
$15
Sat, June 18
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map
Sat, Jun 25
8pm
Stevie Wonder
Special Olympics Summer Games - Opening Ceremony 2011
Kallimarmaron Panathenaikon Stadium
Vasileos Konstantinou Avenue
Athens Greece
Saturday, April 02, 2011
Victoria Theodore: April Performances
Let the rain kiss you
Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops
Let the rain sing you a lullaby
The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk
The rain makes running pools in the gutter
The rain plays a little sleep song on our roof at night
And I love the rain.
"April Rain Song" – Langston Hughes
Rain in abundance has blessed our Bay Area communities over the last few weeks. So much so, that those of us with allergies, are dealing with the beautiful (if uncomfortable) expression of flowers and trees in the form of myriad varieties of pollen. Thank God for anti-histamines!
April brings with it not only variety in foliage, but also variety in my musical performances. This month, I've got shows ranging from funk to musical theater to classical, in both Northern and Southern California. Good stuff, so be sure to catch a show!
Here are my listings. Check out the calendar for updates, and I hope to see you at a show!
Sat, Apr 2
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map
Fri, Apr 8
9:30pm
Funk ky Shu's wit Nu Soles (formerly the 11th Commandments)
Yoshi's San Francisco Front Lounge Funk / R&B
1330 Fillmore Street San Francisco, CA 94115 | 415.655.5600
$10
Sat, Apr 9
****CANCELLED****
9:30pm
FUNK BAND
Yoshi's San Francisco Front Lounge
1330 Fillmore Street San Francisco, CA 94115 | 415.655.5600
$10
****CANCELLED****
Sun, Apr 17
5pm
Monica A. Williams, soprano
One Voice, One Mission, Helping Many; An evening of Classical Music featuring Monica A. Williams, soprano, and Victoria Theodore, pianist. Benefiting the Galatians 6:10 Foundation which supports Mt. Sinaiís missions and outreach endeavors.
Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church
3669 54th Street Los Angeles, CA 94608 | 323.291.1121
Fri, Apr 29
Sat, Apr 30
8pm & 10pm
Goapele at Yoshi's San Francisco
1330 Fillmore Street San Francisco, CA 94115 | 415.655.5600 | map
$28
Sun, May 1
7pm & 9pm
Goapele at Yoshi's San Francisco
1330 Fillmore Street San Francisco, CA 94115 | 415.655.5600 | map
$28
Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops
Let the rain sing you a lullaby
The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk
The rain makes running pools in the gutter
The rain plays a little sleep song on our roof at night
And I love the rain.
"April Rain Song" – Langston Hughes
Rain in abundance has blessed our Bay Area communities over the last few weeks. So much so, that those of us with allergies, are dealing with the beautiful (if uncomfortable) expression of flowers and trees in the form of myriad varieties of pollen. Thank God for anti-histamines!
April brings with it not only variety in foliage, but also variety in my musical performances. This month, I've got shows ranging from funk to musical theater to classical, in both Northern and Southern California. Good stuff, so be sure to catch a show!
Here are my listings. Check out the calendar for updates, and I hope to see you at a show!
Sat, Apr 2
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map
Fri, Apr 8
9:30pm
Funk ky Shu's wit Nu Soles (formerly the 11th Commandments)
Yoshi's San Francisco Front Lounge Funk / R&B
1330 Fillmore Street San Francisco, CA 94115 | 415.655.5600
$10
Sat, Apr 9
****CANCELLED****
9:30pm
FUNK BAND
Yoshi's San Francisco Front Lounge
1330 Fillmore Street San Francisco, CA 94115 | 415.655.5600
$10
****CANCELLED****
Sun, Apr 17
5pm
Monica A. Williams, soprano
One Voice, One Mission, Helping Many; An evening of Classical Music featuring Monica A. Williams, soprano, and Victoria Theodore, pianist. Benefiting the Galatians 6:10 Foundation which supports Mt. Sinaiís missions and outreach endeavors.
Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church
3669 54th Street Los Angeles, CA 94608 | 323.291.1121
Fri, Apr 29
Sat, Apr 30
8pm & 10pm
Goapele at Yoshi's San Francisco
1330 Fillmore Street San Francisco, CA 94115 | 415.655.5600 | map
$28
Sun, May 1
7pm & 9pm
Goapele at Yoshi's San Francisco
1330 Fillmore Street San Francisco, CA 94115 | 415.655.5600 | map
$28
Monday, March 07, 2011
Victoria Theodore: March Performances & Online Hiatus: Week 6
Like an army defeated
The snow hath retreated
...
Small clouds are sailing,
Blue sky prevailing;
The rain is over and gone!
from "Written in March" – William Wordsworth
Well, not quite yet. We did have a brief experience with snow here in California (yikes!!!), but it's long gone and we still have a few remnants of winter manifesting as chilly rain showers. But it's a beautiful poem (excerpted above), ideal for a beautiful March morning.
Since I'm still trying to spend my time being musically creative, rather than being online, I'll keep it brief. I'm gong to Abu Dhabi with Stevie Wonder next week! I'm excited. If you have any suggestions for where to go and what to do, please let me know!
I have a couple of shows coming up in the Bay Area. Check out the calendar, and I hope to see you at a show!
Sat, Mar 5
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map
Sat, Mar 12
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map
Thu, Mar 10
5pm - 8pm
Celebrating Change: Art Live Lounge
An event for International Museum of Women
Terra Gallery
511 Harrison Street San Francisco, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map
$85 Online Purchases, $95 At the Door (Subject to availability. PLEASE BUY TICKETS AHEAD OF TIME. THIS EVENT IS LIKELY TO SELL OUT)
Fri, Mar 18
8:30pm
Stevie Wonder
2011 Tour
Yas Island Show Weekend 2011
Yas Arena
Yas Island , Abu Dhabi, UAE | map
Mon, Mar 21
9pm
SHELLEY presents Night of Jazz
A benefit for Lyon Martin Health Services; featured artists include: Tom Shaw Trio, SHELLEY, Victoria Theodore, Sheelagh Murphy, Suzanna Smith and Benn Bacot
Cafe du Nord
2170 Market Street San Francisco, CA 94526 | 415.861.5016 | map
$25 Online Purchases, $30 At the Door
The snow hath retreated
...
Small clouds are sailing,
Blue sky prevailing;
The rain is over and gone!
from "Written in March" – William Wordsworth
Well, not quite yet. We did have a brief experience with snow here in California (yikes!!!), but it's long gone and we still have a few remnants of winter manifesting as chilly rain showers. But it's a beautiful poem (excerpted above), ideal for a beautiful March morning.
Since I'm still trying to spend my time being musically creative, rather than being online, I'll keep it brief. I'm gong to Abu Dhabi with Stevie Wonder next week! I'm excited. If you have any suggestions for where to go and what to do, please let me know!
I have a couple of shows coming up in the Bay Area. Check out the calendar, and I hope to see you at a show!
Sat, Mar 5
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map
Sat, Mar 12
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map
Thu, Mar 10
5pm - 8pm
Celebrating Change: Art Live Lounge
An event for International Museum of Women
Terra Gallery
511 Harrison Street San Francisco, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map
$85 Online Purchases, $95 At the Door (Subject to availability. PLEASE BUY TICKETS AHEAD OF TIME. THIS EVENT IS LIKELY TO SELL OUT)
Fri, Mar 18
8:30pm
Stevie Wonder
2011 Tour
Yas Island Show Weekend 2011
Yas Arena
Yas Island , Abu Dhabi, UAE | map
Mon, Mar 21
9pm
SHELLEY presents Night of Jazz
A benefit for Lyon Martin Health Services; featured artists include: Tom Shaw Trio, SHELLEY, Victoria Theodore, Sheelagh Murphy, Suzanna Smith and Benn Bacot
Cafe du Nord
2170 Market Street San Francisco, CA 94526 | 415.861.5016 | map
$25 Online Purchases, $30 At the Door
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Baby, I'm a Staaaaaaaaaaar, ooh!
I was dancing on the stage, lights, smoke and loud music all around me...shaking my hips, flipping my hair, steeped in a world of phantasmagoric phunk...
I glanced to my left to see a beautiful smile, shrouded white, head to toe fierce, complete with furry white boots that nearly stole the show. A man with superlative seductive sensibility was singing a song to me...um...and a few thousand other folks! Whaaaa?? Yep. I was on stage, partying it up at the Prince concert in Oakland Thursday night! Here's my crazed teenage-dream scream: AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!
I have been a Prince fanatic since I was a pre-teen. My very first concert was a Prince concert. I'd forgotten how amazingly talented this man is. I had the opportunity to see him perform both Wednesday and Thursday nights, and to see my amazing Oakland friends (Ashling Cole, Jimi McKinney, David Council, Wilton Raab, Brian Braziel) jam with the amazing Larry Graham as Prince's opening act and then later play with him in his set. After the show, I was able to hang out backstage with even more of my lovely bay area musician friends. I'm still buzzing from the thrill of music, dance and love! Woohoo!
Prince's band was on fire! Great shows and good times! Sheila E was spectacular and looked like a goddess! Mr. Hayes, Ida Bass, Cassandra and the rest of the band and singers were smokin' hot!! But I really started to party when Prince asked Shelby, one of the singers, to collect a few dancers for an onstage dance-a-thon. I happened to have been sitting close to the stage, and as soon as I heard the invitation, I ran to the stairs. I wasn't going to miss the opportunity to dance for Prince! Several of my friends joined me on stage....which left one small problem: NO ONE to take a photo! Sigh... Oh well. Hopefully, someone in the mass of audience members took a photo and I'll get to see it. But even if not, it's a memory that I'll always treasure. 'Cause "I'm just cool...COOL!! Coo-oo-ool! Ain't nobody bad like me..."
But, great band, beautiful lights, a chance to dance on stage all aside, Prince was superb. This article sums it up well:
Prince concert Review
The sound in the house wasn't great (especially on Thursday night, I had to use my ear plugs from the start...it was just too loud), but I still could appreciate the man's virtuosity, musicality and showmanship. I couldn't hold back the tears on Purple Rain (I cried both nights), and appreciated even the little snippets of several hits that he triggered on the purple piano. His oeuvre is astonishing, spectacular and inspiring. Love, love, love, love, LOVED every moment. Thank you, Prince...
Monday, February 14, 2011
Online Hiatus: Week 5
I never get sick. No, really. I sometime flirt with "under the weather" or "fatigue" or "moody", but even those are pretty rare. But sick? Nope. Not me. But this time, the virus was sneaky and even overcame my secret anti-illness potion (H2O2). So, I spent the entire weekend in bed, plotting my return to the world of healthfulness from beneath several layers of blankets.
From my bed, I imagined myself focusing on practicing, composing, arranging and performing with the aim of finishing my first CD project (or digital download...not sure how to refer to it). My goal is to make a definitive musical statement that reflects the diversity of my training and musical experience, bridging the gap between accessible and esoteric. I'm excited about it, and am ready to get going again. As..cough...soon as ...cough cough...I can stop....cough...cough...stop ..cough cough...coughing and stay out ...cough cough...of bed long enough...cough cough... to get back to w...cough cough cough cough...work...cough cough cough COUGH!!! You get the picture....sigh....
Have a beautifully healthy week, lovelies! May this Valentine's Day be the most beautiful and loving you've ever experienced. Don't restrict your proclamations of love to only the romantic type. Tell everyone you love these three word: I LOVE YOU!!!
See you next week!
From my bed, I imagined myself focusing on practicing, composing, arranging and performing with the aim of finishing my first CD project (or digital download...not sure how to refer to it). My goal is to make a definitive musical statement that reflects the diversity of my training and musical experience, bridging the gap between accessible and esoteric. I'm excited about it, and am ready to get going again. As..cough...soon as ...cough cough...I can stop....cough...cough...stop ..cough cough...coughing and stay out ...cough cough...of bed long enough...cough cough... to get back to w...cough cough cough cough...work...cough cough cough COUGH!!! You get the picture....sigh....
Have a beautifully healthy week, lovelies! May this Valentine's Day be the most beautiful and loving you've ever experienced. Don't restrict your proclamations of love to only the romantic type. Tell everyone you love these three word: I LOVE YOU!!!
See you next week!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Victoria Theodore: February Performances & Online Hiatus: Week 3 & 4
"Love is in the air...quite clearly..."
– Stephen Sondheim, A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Forum
It's February! The month of love! Let's hope it's full of love and better luck!
Um…yeah… January is gone. Thank GOD! Ok… 2011 has been a doozy of a year so far: My 14 year old dog got sick, then had a bad reaction to his meds. I spent several hundred dollars on a problem that didn’t really exist, and disappeared when I stopped giving him the meds. Sigh. Then my other 2 dogs both had bad skin allergies. Another couple of hundred dollars. Sigh. Then mom’s roof was blown off in a bizzare wind storm that behaved like a tornado (northern California, folks. We don't get those here!!). Insurance company only wants to pay 2/3, made the check out to the mortgage company, so it has to be sent back east for endorsement and approval before the contractor can be paid. Sigh. Then I pulled a muscle in my chest (feels like my diaphragm) while doing yoga. Yoga! WTF???? I've been doing yoga for 15 years. I've NEVER pulled a muscle. Sigh. Then my aunt Debra was in a major car accident. Sigh. Thankfully, no one died, and there is light at the end of each of the proverbial tunnels, but January has been taxing. Conclusion: My family and I overcome obstacles with confidence, grace and determination! Yes!
I’ve been doing an online hiatus. Or trying to. Well, to say I'm trying is lame. I intended to and failed. Oh well! I have managed to experience some great music. Last weekend, I played and sang for a fundraiser in Oakland. I did a few standards in homage to Billie Holiday. I’d never really done anything quite like it, and despite my still present cough (maybe I should go to the doctor?) I did a great job. Well, I haven’t seen the video yet, so I guess we shall see! Fingers crossed that I did the songs justice...
After the fundraiser, I went to dinner with my sister at Bistro Liason. Wow! I had a delicious veggie pizza with butternut squash, and a spinach salad with pecans and goat cheese. The next day, I went on a mini-vacation to Napa with my BFF Amy. It was her birthday and since the vacation was already paid for (no refunds), I decided to take advantage of the time off, despite the chaos in my family life. The highlights of the trip to Napa were the amazing meals we enjoyed. We had dinner at Farmstead, where I dined on delicious roasted chicken with kale, and a yummy kale salad. We had lunch at the CIA at Greystone. I was in a veggie mood, so I ate Brussels sprouts (one of my favorite things on the planet), Broccolini and butternut squash soup (yes, I’m a superfan of butternut squash). But the best meal by far, was the meal we had at Ubuntu in downtown Napa. OH MY GOODNESS! This was definitely one of the best meals of my life. All of the dishes were delicious, creative, full of flavor, delicious (oh! Did I already say that??) and DELICIOUS! And the chef is cute too! He came out to our table to serve our final dish and we both were effusive in our praise of his creations. The dishes were served family style but were presented as works of art. We started with the “garden snake”, a collection of leaves, flowers, roots and herbs gathered together in the shape of a snake with sprinkles of “soil” (if you go to Ubuntu, have them explain the “soil” to you and then don’t hesitate to gobble it up. OMG it’s good. For real.), the steamed bun with sunchokes persimmon and green tomato, the roasted potatoes with kraut ash (cabbage prepared in a specialized manner that ends up resembling ash, but tastes divine) and a celeriac based dessert (yes, that’s celery root, and it will totally surprise you). The chef, Aaron London, is brilliant.
I’ve had a few spectacular musical experiences in the past week as well. On Thursday night, I went to hear my friend Elaine Romanelli at the Union Room in San Francisco. She’s now performing her own music: a hybrid of folk, pop and bluesy jazz (when I met her she was doing mostly classical and standards). She’s a brilliant songwriter and I loved listening to her set. Friday night I went and heard 3 piece and a Biscuit, Ashling Cole’s band, most of whom also perform with Larry Graham, touring around the world: Brian Braziel, Eric “EQ” Young, Eric Daniels, Jimmy McKinney, Dave Counsil, and Wilton Raab. The first set was a tribute to the genius of Teena Marie, and I had the chance to sit in on my favorite Teena song, Portguese Love. But the rest of the night, I was in the audience dancing and having a great time listening to the band. They were HOT! Saturday night, I went to see my BFF Sundra perform with Miko Marks: country music in the Bay Area! Who knew? The band was great, and included my friends Brian Braziel and Victor Campos. I had a great time and even learned country line dancing with Miko’s uncle. Yee haw! And then Sunday night, I was present for the recording of Valerie Trout’s new CD, featuring more Bay Area musicians: Maya Kronfeld (one of my favorite pianists, and not just in the bay area!), Darian Gray, Jaz Sawyer and Dave Ewell. Stunning arrangements of standards and some beautiful tunes by Valerie. What an inspiring weekend! Time for me to get to work. I’m going to do myself a favor and REALLY not go online this week. See you next Monday with a report of the music I’ve composed! Yes, I’m making a challenging for myself to stop just talking and start doing! Love love love…
I have a couple of shows coming up in the Bay Area. Check out the calendar, and I hope to see you at a show!
Sat, Feb 5
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map
Sat, Feb 19
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map
– Stephen Sondheim, A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Forum
It's February! The month of love! Let's hope it's full of love and better luck!
Um…yeah… January is gone. Thank GOD! Ok… 2011 has been a doozy of a year so far: My 14 year old dog got sick, then had a bad reaction to his meds. I spent several hundred dollars on a problem that didn’t really exist, and disappeared when I stopped giving him the meds. Sigh. Then my other 2 dogs both had bad skin allergies. Another couple of hundred dollars. Sigh. Then mom’s roof was blown off in a bizzare wind storm that behaved like a tornado (northern California, folks. We don't get those here!!). Insurance company only wants to pay 2/3, made the check out to the mortgage company, so it has to be sent back east for endorsement and approval before the contractor can be paid. Sigh. Then I pulled a muscle in my chest (feels like my diaphragm) while doing yoga. Yoga! WTF???? I've been doing yoga for 15 years. I've NEVER pulled a muscle. Sigh. Then my aunt Debra was in a major car accident. Sigh. Thankfully, no one died, and there is light at the end of each of the proverbial tunnels, but January has been taxing. Conclusion: My family and I overcome obstacles with confidence, grace and determination! Yes!
I’ve been doing an online hiatus. Or trying to. Well, to say I'm trying is lame. I intended to and failed. Oh well! I have managed to experience some great music. Last weekend, I played and sang for a fundraiser in Oakland. I did a few standards in homage to Billie Holiday. I’d never really done anything quite like it, and despite my still present cough (maybe I should go to the doctor?) I did a great job. Well, I haven’t seen the video yet, so I guess we shall see! Fingers crossed that I did the songs justice...
After the fundraiser, I went to dinner with my sister at Bistro Liason. Wow! I had a delicious veggie pizza with butternut squash, and a spinach salad with pecans and goat cheese. The next day, I went on a mini-vacation to Napa with my BFF Amy. It was her birthday and since the vacation was already paid for (no refunds), I decided to take advantage of the time off, despite the chaos in my family life. The highlights of the trip to Napa were the amazing meals we enjoyed. We had dinner at Farmstead, where I dined on delicious roasted chicken with kale, and a yummy kale salad. We had lunch at the CIA at Greystone. I was in a veggie mood, so I ate Brussels sprouts (one of my favorite things on the planet), Broccolini and butternut squash soup (yes, I’m a superfan of butternut squash). But the best meal by far, was the meal we had at Ubuntu in downtown Napa. OH MY GOODNESS! This was definitely one of the best meals of my life. All of the dishes were delicious, creative, full of flavor, delicious (oh! Did I already say that??) and DELICIOUS! And the chef is cute too! He came out to our table to serve our final dish and we both were effusive in our praise of his creations. The dishes were served family style but were presented as works of art. We started with the “garden snake”, a collection of leaves, flowers, roots and herbs gathered together in the shape of a snake with sprinkles of “soil” (if you go to Ubuntu, have them explain the “soil” to you and then don’t hesitate to gobble it up. OMG it’s good. For real.), the steamed bun with sunchokes persimmon and green tomato, the roasted potatoes with kraut ash (cabbage prepared in a specialized manner that ends up resembling ash, but tastes divine) and a celeriac based dessert (yes, that’s celery root, and it will totally surprise you). The chef, Aaron London, is brilliant.
I’ve had a few spectacular musical experiences in the past week as well. On Thursday night, I went to hear my friend Elaine Romanelli at the Union Room in San Francisco. She’s now performing her own music: a hybrid of folk, pop and bluesy jazz (when I met her she was doing mostly classical and standards). She’s a brilliant songwriter and I loved listening to her set. Friday night I went and heard 3 piece and a Biscuit, Ashling Cole’s band, most of whom also perform with Larry Graham, touring around the world: Brian Braziel, Eric “EQ” Young, Eric Daniels, Jimmy McKinney, Dave Counsil, and Wilton Raab. The first set was a tribute to the genius of Teena Marie, and I had the chance to sit in on my favorite Teena song, Portguese Love. But the rest of the night, I was in the audience dancing and having a great time listening to the band. They were HOT! Saturday night, I went to see my BFF Sundra perform with Miko Marks: country music in the Bay Area! Who knew? The band was great, and included my friends Brian Braziel and Victor Campos. I had a great time and even learned country line dancing with Miko’s uncle. Yee haw! And then Sunday night, I was present for the recording of Valerie Trout’s new CD, featuring more Bay Area musicians: Maya Kronfeld (one of my favorite pianists, and not just in the bay area!), Darian Gray, Jaz Sawyer and Dave Ewell. Stunning arrangements of standards and some beautiful tunes by Valerie. What an inspiring weekend! Time for me to get to work. I’m going to do myself a favor and REALLY not go online this week. See you next Monday with a report of the music I’ve composed! Yes, I’m making a challenging for myself to stop just talking and start doing! Love love love…
I have a couple of shows coming up in the Bay Area. Check out the calendar, and I hope to see you at a show!
Sat, Feb 5
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map
Sat, Feb 19
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map
Monday, January 17, 2011
Online Hiatus: Week 2
This past weekend I drove to Los Angeles to attend the NAMM show. I have been dealing with several personal issues that made me ambivalent about attending this year, but last week, things started working out, so I decided to go. Now I wish I'd made up my mind sooner so I could have arranged to stay the entire weekend. I keep doing that to myself: I go to NAMM, have a great time, leave way way way too early, regret leaving, and then immediately forget the following year until the last minute. Sigh... Anyway, this year, a huge crew of my bay area friends attended, including Mike Blankenship, Ashling Cole, Uriah Duffy, Joey Fabian, Dennis Dove, Darian Gray, Lloyd Gregory, Lynette Williams, Donte McClinton, Brian Collier, Dale Chung, Stephen Smith, Bryan Dean, Altoris Levar, Eric Barnett I also had the chance to hang out with my musical friends Wictor Wooten, Byron Miller, Brandon Brown (though I AGAIN missed a New Genesis show since I didn't have my own car...sigh...), Matt Cusson, Showboat Shavers, Eric Bostelman, Freddie Ravel, Kiki, Dennis Hamm, Ruslan Sirota, Ronald Bruner, Jr., Ellis Hall, Lynne Fiddmont, Jeanette Harris, Michael Harris, Kimberly Brewer, Gerry Brown, David Haynes, René Decker, my band mates Errol Cooney, Roman Johnson, Nate Watts, and Ryan Kilgore.
I think I got everyone...though it's likely I've left someone out...oops! I heard lots of great music and even had the chance to play...though that's an odd story:
I arrived at sound check for a performance on Friday night. Nate Watts had asked me to perform with him, and anytime that Nate asks me to play a gig, I say yes! Not only is he an amazing musician, but he's a lovely person. Unfortunately, I encountered someone who wasn't so lovely. Let's just say that someone that night chose to be an impediment and unreasonably rude. I don't want to reveal too much, because I'm choosing to not partake in a game of who can be more arrogant, but I was shocked that a professional musician would exhibit the type of behavior I encountered. Suffice it to say, that Roman Johnson and I had a good laugh while we attempted to play 2 keyboard parts on a single 61-key keyboard (on only 1 patch, since there was no time to program any splits), bumping into each other as we played. At least I was able to get all of my friends into the show. I just wish I'd had the chance to really PLAY. C'est la vie!
I made lots of new connections with equipment manufacturers, met some incredible new musicians, enjoyed the beautiful sunny weather and had an all around good time. I even managed to work on 3 tracks for clients over the past week. This week, I've got a few client tracks, but my main focus is my project and getting ready for a show on Saturday where I'll be playing and singing a few jazz standards.
See you next week!
I think I got everyone...though it's likely I've left someone out...oops! I heard lots of great music and even had the chance to play...though that's an odd story:
I arrived at sound check for a performance on Friday night. Nate Watts had asked me to perform with him, and anytime that Nate asks me to play a gig, I say yes! Not only is he an amazing musician, but he's a lovely person. Unfortunately, I encountered someone who wasn't so lovely. Let's just say that someone that night chose to be an impediment and unreasonably rude. I don't want to reveal too much, because I'm choosing to not partake in a game of who can be more arrogant, but I was shocked that a professional musician would exhibit the type of behavior I encountered. Suffice it to say, that Roman Johnson and I had a good laugh while we attempted to play 2 keyboard parts on a single 61-key keyboard (on only 1 patch, since there was no time to program any splits), bumping into each other as we played. At least I was able to get all of my friends into the show. I just wish I'd had the chance to really PLAY. C'est la vie!
I made lots of new connections with equipment manufacturers, met some incredible new musicians, enjoyed the beautiful sunny weather and had an all around good time. I even managed to work on 3 tracks for clients over the past week. This week, I've got a few client tracks, but my main focus is my project and getting ready for a show on Saturday where I'll be playing and singing a few jazz standards.
See you next week!
Monday, January 10, 2011
Online Hiatus: Week 1
Hello friends! As I mentioned in my previous blog, I'm making space in my life so that I can focus on my music at a more intense level. I must admit, I'd become addicted to checking my email, checking facebook, commenting on the lives of others, etc. This past week was awesome in terms of releasing my addiction. I only went online once per day, and just to check for email messages marked "URGENT", only left facebook comments regarding my dog (who's almost back to normal...hallelujah!), didn't return many phone calls (sorry...) and enjoyed the space and freedom to work on music! I practiced, created new ideas for tracks, recorded a song with one of my songwriting partners, and had an overall sense of accomplishment. Yay!
Ok, disappearing again for another week. If you see me, online, please nudge me and say "hey! Aren't you supposed to be hiding?", just like my friend Amy K. did the other day! lol
xoxoxo
Ok, disappearing again for another week. If you see me, online, please nudge me and say "hey! Aren't you supposed to be hiding?", just like my friend Amy K. did the other day! lol
xoxoxo
Monday, January 03, 2011
Resolutions & my Best of 2010
2010 was a good year for me. I had several amazing moments, and clearly can't itemize them all. Here are the major stand outs:
CAREER
Meeting Quincy Jones and performing at Fisk University
FAMILY
Participating in Naomi's wish from the Make-A-Wish Foundation
FRIEND
On a day when I was feeling kind of lonely and needed a connection to home, I ran into a good friend in a piano store in Copenhagen. One of these days, I'll write at length about that magical day.
BRAIN
A friend too me to a lecture by Dr. Cornel West. I was spellbound. I love brilliance and Dr. West offers his brilliance to an audience in ample measure. I left the lecture inspired, enthralled and determined to reach my highest level of expression in life, music, art, beauty, intellect, humanity, kindness, empathy, responsibility and love.
HEART
Love continues to surround and support me, in ways that are beyond explanation in a simple blog. I am so grateful...
BEST BOOK
Poems That Will Save Your Life
A friend gave me this book for my birthday and I love it! It's a collection that includes some of my all time favorite poems, and is my source of achieving my life long dream of being a person who can easily recite poetry a la Dr. Huxtable. : >
BEST SONG
This song was released in 2009, but I learned it in 2010. Hands down my favorite song of the year. Every time, and I mean, every time, it gets to the D sus chord at 8:31, I weep tears of joy. It's one of the most amazingly beautiful, well conceived, brilliantly re-harmonized moments I've ever experienced in music. After a particular chord progression is repeated over a gradual crescendo, the band introduces the new chord after a descending C aeolian scale and it strikes my spirit me like daylight after a heavy storm. Spectacular!
Sovereign God
BEST CD
I'm a fan of great pop music, and my favorite pop record of the year was Bruno Mars' "Doo-Wops & Hooligans". Favorite song "Grenade", but I love many of them. I LOOOOOOVE Bruno Mars!
My favorite jazz record was Esperanza Spalding's "Chamber Music Society". The project didn't catch me as swiftly as her previous work, but it's definitely grown on me. Favorite tune: run-off between "Little Fly", with it's very singable melody which evokes the Viennese classical music of William Blake's era (the poet responsible for the lyric, "What A Friend" with its metamorphosis from sensual ballad into funky modern jazz groove, and "Inutil Paisagem", featuring the beautiful voice of Gretchen Parlato.
BEST CONCERT
Spectator: Hiromi, solo piano at Yoshi's. She is my favorite young pianist. She exemplifies everything I seek to achieve as a pianist: unparalleled musical expression, beautiful touch, fiery technique, and plain, simple fun while playing. Hiromi rocks!
Performer (band): Stevie Wonder in South Korea. I've never seen a crowd as enthusiastic and emotional as the crowd in Seoul.
Performer (solo): Well, not really solo, but it was performing my own music at Fisk University. It whet my appetite for performing more of my own music!
CAREER
Meeting Quincy Jones and performing at Fisk University
FAMILY
Participating in Naomi's wish from the Make-A-Wish Foundation
FRIEND
On a day when I was feeling kind of lonely and needed a connection to home, I ran into a good friend in a piano store in Copenhagen. One of these days, I'll write at length about that magical day.
BRAIN
A friend too me to a lecture by Dr. Cornel West. I was spellbound. I love brilliance and Dr. West offers his brilliance to an audience in ample measure. I left the lecture inspired, enthralled and determined to reach my highest level of expression in life, music, art, beauty, intellect, humanity, kindness, empathy, responsibility and love.
HEART
Love continues to surround and support me, in ways that are beyond explanation in a simple blog. I am so grateful...
BEST BOOK
Poems That Will Save Your Life
A friend gave me this book for my birthday and I love it! It's a collection that includes some of my all time favorite poems, and is my source of achieving my life long dream of being a person who can easily recite poetry a la Dr. Huxtable. : >
BEST SONG
This song was released in 2009, but I learned it in 2010. Hands down my favorite song of the year. Every time, and I mean, every time, it gets to the D sus chord at 8:31, I weep tears of joy. It's one of the most amazingly beautiful, well conceived, brilliantly re-harmonized moments I've ever experienced in music. After a particular chord progression is repeated over a gradual crescendo, the band introduces the new chord after a descending C aeolian scale and it strikes my spirit me like daylight after a heavy storm. Spectacular!
Sovereign God
BEST CD
I'm a fan of great pop music, and my favorite pop record of the year was Bruno Mars' "Doo-Wops & Hooligans". Favorite song "Grenade", but I love many of them. I LOOOOOOVE Bruno Mars!
My favorite jazz record was Esperanza Spalding's "Chamber Music Society". The project didn't catch me as swiftly as her previous work, but it's definitely grown on me. Favorite tune: run-off between "Little Fly", with it's very singable melody which evokes the Viennese classical music of William Blake's era (the poet responsible for the lyric, "What A Friend" with its metamorphosis from sensual ballad into funky modern jazz groove, and "Inutil Paisagem", featuring the beautiful voice of Gretchen Parlato.
BEST CONCERT
Spectator: Hiromi, solo piano at Yoshi's. She is my favorite young pianist. She exemplifies everything I seek to achieve as a pianist: unparalleled musical expression, beautiful touch, fiery technique, and plain, simple fun while playing. Hiromi rocks!
Performer (band): Stevie Wonder in South Korea. I've never seen a crowd as enthusiastic and emotional as the crowd in Seoul.
Performer (solo): Well, not really solo, but it was performing my own music at Fisk University. It whet my appetite for performing more of my own music!
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Intentions and declarations
"Maybe it's much too early in the game
Ooh, but I thought I'd ask you just the same
What are you doing New Year's
New Year's eve?"
– What are you doing New Year's eve?, Sung by Ella Fitzgerald, written by Frank Loesser
Well, at least so far, I won't be working. For the 2nd year in a row, I'm left without a New Year's Eve gig. Weird. Oh well! Maybe I'll get a last minute phone call...or maybe I'll bring in the new year with my family. Either way, it'll be a beautiful night...
2010...it's been a great year! Well, not for my blogging habit. I've missed entire seasons of notable events that I should have documented. But the prevailing realisation for me is that I do need a full time assistant. Many of my musical peers are also realizing that although an online presence is imperative in this information age, it can easy snow-ball into an experience that's seriously overwhelming. I used to pride myself on timely responses to both email and phone messages. 2010 has seen me turn into a regular non-responder. And let's not even mention the email I get from Facebook, myspace, Linked-In, and all of the other social networking sites I so smartly joined (early adopter that I am). In a phrase, I'm in information overload!
So here's my quick summation of 2010, with a few highlights:
JANUARY 2010
Legendary bassist Nathan Watts asked me to perform with him at the ceremony hosted by Samson honoring Nate with the 2010 International Bassist Award. Nate asked me to play some classical, so I prepared a couple of pieces from the Davidsbündlertänze by R. Schumann, and Rachmaninoff Etude #5 from the Études-Tableaux. Not exactly the crowd for classical, and I had to play them on a keyboard, but I did my best and Nate appreciated it : >
FEBRUARY 2010
I was invited to do a master class and lecture for the Keep Music Rockin' Foundation. It was fun and the kids seemed to enjoy my presentation.
A friend invited me to Skywalker Ranch to observe a recording session. At lunch, apparently George Lucas sat directly behind me, but no one at my table decided to tell me until he'd left, so I didn't get a chance to meet him. But, oh, was I inspired to be on the grounds. So much creativity in the air! Just the beauty of the place is inspiring. I can't wait to return...
MARCH 2010
I accompanied several artists in the Jazz Camp West music competition, and was truly impressed by the variety of talent. Including my own sister! She's not a trained singer, but was determined to perform a song that touched her heart, Sade's "It's only love". She brought the entire room to tears with her emotional rendition.
APRIL 2010
As you may recall, my niece Naomi is a leukemia survivor. While she was in chemotherapy treatment, she was granted a wish to visit Disney World by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. I was invited to go along with the family and enjoy a few days of watching Naomi being given a trip of a lifetime. Thank you to the good people at Make-A-Wish Foundation, Disney World, Universal Studios and Give Kids the World Village for making Naomi's dream of meeting Tinkerbell come true!
I flew home from Florida, and performed with soprano Candace Johnson the very next day. I had taken the music with me to Florida so I could study the piano accompaniment. We performed a series of pieces composed by American composers, including some which were challenging, especially given my short amount of practice time. But we pulled it off! I just love playing challenging classical music. I get so much satisfaction from the combination of beauty and cerebral stimulation; focusing on executing the notes correctly, while lending the proper interpretation, while listening to the singer and supporting her interpretation and character in the music, and projecting all of that to an audience. Ah... the thrill of it all!
A few days later, I flew to Nashville as the guest composer for the Fisk University Jazz Ensemble Spring Concert. Dr. Gary Nash had invited me to compose a few pieces for the ensemble a few months prior to the performance. I composed and arranged 3 pieces, and Dr. Nash worked with the students to prepare for the Spring concert performance. The concert went great! The students were so kind and seemed to enjoy my music, as did the audience. Thank you to Dr. Nash and all of the students for their hospitality and hard work in preparing my music!
MAY 2010
I was invited to perform a Mother's Day concert for a private club, and decided to use the occasion to write a song in honor of mothers...that same morning! I love the song and look forward to recording it ... soon! : >
Stevie Wonder had a couple of fundraiser performances. He was the headliner for the Robin Hood Foundation Annual fundraiser in New York City. The room was packed with millionaires, billionaires and celebrities, and the foundation raised $87 million in just a few hours. Breathtaking...
Later in the month, Stevie was the headliner for an event honoring Washington DC area teachers. Another great show...
JUNE / JULY 2010
Stevie performed at the Bonnaroo Festival in Tennessee, and for the first time since I've been in the band, he wasn't the closing act. That position went to Jay-Z, who put on a great show! I had no idea that I know so many of his songs. Beyoncé and Lady Gaga were standing on the opposite side of the stage from me, but I didn't get the chance to meet either of them.
About a week later, Stevie started his European Tour! We travelled all over Europe, including cities I'd never visited before. My favorites included Paris (of course, as it's my favorite city in the world), London, Copenhagen, Verona and Berlin. There were too many cities to track in this abbreviated blog, but one of these day, my assistant will compile the awesome photos I took and upload them. Sigh... Hightlights:
• First time in Ireland, but no time to research family history (yes, Irish ancestry in my bloodline)
• Hard Rock Calling - amazing crowd, great weather, getting used to performing the skit with Stevie (check out the YouTube videos!)
• Glastonbury Festival - 250,000 people so they say. Who knows? A huge crowd indeed. Got to meet Corinne Bailey Rae and Slash!
• Performing in ancient arenas in Niemes, France and Verona, Italy. Stunning. Not only was the architecture breathtakingly beautiful, but the people were absolutely lovely! I'd never encountered my own "fans" like I did in Italy! They knew all of the bands members by name! Talk about an humbling experience. Wow...
• Monte Carlo, where the Bentley is just a commonplace car. You have a Bentley? Oh...Yawn... I am a serious foodie, and decided that I had to (I just HAD TO) grant myself the experience of dining at a fancy restaurant in Monte Carlo. I couldn't convince any of my comrades to accompany me on my culinary adventure, so I got all dolled up and went on by myself. I wanted to dine at Alain Ducasse's world famous Le Louis XV, but apparently my last minute decision was inadequate notice to reserve a table. So, I ventured to the top of the Hôtel de Paris and had a fantastic meal at Le Grill, complete with my own personal waiter and a stunning view of the French Riviera.
• Berlin - My friend, musician and composer René Decker, treated a few us to a boat tour of Berlin, and then drove us around town. Later, he invited every to come check out his band and for us to sit in on the gig. Several band members went, played a few songs and had a great time. Berlin is AWESOME!
• Copenhagen! This is the best tour story yet! And you'll have to wait to hear the details because this is the short blog. Quick take: I ran into my friend Maya Kronfeld at a piano store. Talk about serendipity!
• Norway, experienced the midnight sun. Wow!
AUGUST 2010
Stevie Wonder started his Asia tour! It was a short run, but my first time in Asia! I'd studied Japanese and Korean while in college (yes, I'm a first class nerd...), and relished the opportunity to FINALLY have the chance to visit these countries. My first impression of Japan was negative, unfortunately, as I got stuck in a customs backlog and was the recipient of some extra attention from a customs agent who seemed determined to discover that I was visiting Japan not to perform, but to visit my Japanese "boyfriend". Maybe he was flirting with me? I have no idea. I was so exhausted that all I could do was sit and wait for him to rummage through MY ENTIRE SET OF LUGGAGE as everyone else in the group waited outside for over an hour in the shuttle. Sigh...
After that, my Asia experience was incredible. Once we got to the hotel and I got a taste of the pace and energy of Tokyo, I fell in love! I can't wait to return. I was only there for about 18 hours total, but I have now placed Tokyo just below Paris in my list of favorite cities (sorry Melbourne and NYC). While in Tokyo, I had the chance to finally meet Brenda Vaughn (who also introduced me to Kaleb James...check them both out if you're in Tokyo and want to hear some great music!), and got to catch up with my rock star friend Uriah Duffy! Good times! : >
I left Tokyo (having stayed up all night hanging out with my friends) and flew to Seoul in the early morning. Upon arriving in Seoul, Ryan, Dwight and I went on a day long tour of the city. We met a man who became our defacto tour guide (another amazing story you'll have to wait for), and walked to the top of the Seoul Tower for an incredible view. We were all fatigued beyond explanation after our day, but it was well worth it. The crowd for Stevie's show in Seoul? The most amazingly enthusiastic crowd I've ever seen. They were unbelievable!
SEPTEMBER 2010
My Birthday!!! WooHoo!! I celebrated for the entire month and into October. Hey! I deserve it : > I had some performances too, but the main event was My Birthday!!! WooHoo!!
OCTOBER 2010
2 more fundraiser shows with Stevie Wonder: Toronto and New York City again, this time for Paul Newman's Hole in the Wall Gang Camps.
NOVEMBER 2010
I gave another lecture for the Keep Music Rockin' Foundation and was an emergency substitute pianist for a Women's Community Orchestra concert. I had fun playing classical music, as usual : >
DECEMBER 2010
Stevie Wonder was the artist for Salesforce.com Dream Force conference, right here in San Francisco! It was fun to have a local gig, and several of my friends and students were able to procure tickets for the concert.
And the last big show of the year (unless I get a last minute request to perform for New Year's Eve) was Stevie's Annual House Full of Toys concert. This year, most of the band only played for Stevie, so for once I had the chance to sit back and enjoy the other artists. Stevie once again honored me with being his lone accompaniment on "Ave Maria". Accompanying him is definitely one of the greatest joys in my life. I can't wait for more opportunities to play for him : >
Thank you 2010 for being a great year. Welcome 2011! Let's make it the best year yet!
God bless you all, and Happy New Year!!!
Ooh, but I thought I'd ask you just the same
What are you doing New Year's
New Year's eve?"
– What are you doing New Year's eve?, Sung by Ella Fitzgerald, written by Frank Loesser
Well, at least so far, I won't be working. For the 2nd year in a row, I'm left without a New Year's Eve gig. Weird. Oh well! Maybe I'll get a last minute phone call...or maybe I'll bring in the new year with my family. Either way, it'll be a beautiful night...
2010...it's been a great year! Well, not for my blogging habit. I've missed entire seasons of notable events that I should have documented. But the prevailing realisation for me is that I do need a full time assistant. Many of my musical peers are also realizing that although an online presence is imperative in this information age, it can easy snow-ball into an experience that's seriously overwhelming. I used to pride myself on timely responses to both email and phone messages. 2010 has seen me turn into a regular non-responder. And let's not even mention the email I get from Facebook, myspace, Linked-In, and all of the other social networking sites I so smartly joined (early adopter that I am). In a phrase, I'm in information overload!
So here's my quick summation of 2010, with a few highlights:
JANUARY 2010
Legendary bassist Nathan Watts asked me to perform with him at the ceremony hosted by Samson honoring Nate with the 2010 International Bassist Award. Nate asked me to play some classical, so I prepared a couple of pieces from the Davidsbündlertänze by R. Schumann, and Rachmaninoff Etude #5 from the Études-Tableaux. Not exactly the crowd for classical, and I had to play them on a keyboard, but I did my best and Nate appreciated it : >
FEBRUARY 2010
I was invited to do a master class and lecture for the Keep Music Rockin' Foundation. It was fun and the kids seemed to enjoy my presentation.
A friend invited me to Skywalker Ranch to observe a recording session. At lunch, apparently George Lucas sat directly behind me, but no one at my table decided to tell me until he'd left, so I didn't get a chance to meet him. But, oh, was I inspired to be on the grounds. So much creativity in the air! Just the beauty of the place is inspiring. I can't wait to return...
MARCH 2010
I accompanied several artists in the Jazz Camp West music competition, and was truly impressed by the variety of talent. Including my own sister! She's not a trained singer, but was determined to perform a song that touched her heart, Sade's "It's only love". She brought the entire room to tears with her emotional rendition.
APRIL 2010
As you may recall, my niece Naomi is a leukemia survivor. While she was in chemotherapy treatment, she was granted a wish to visit Disney World by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. I was invited to go along with the family and enjoy a few days of watching Naomi being given a trip of a lifetime. Thank you to the good people at Make-A-Wish Foundation, Disney World, Universal Studios and Give Kids the World Village for making Naomi's dream of meeting Tinkerbell come true!
I flew home from Florida, and performed with soprano Candace Johnson the very next day. I had taken the music with me to Florida so I could study the piano accompaniment. We performed a series of pieces composed by American composers, including some which were challenging, especially given my short amount of practice time. But we pulled it off! I just love playing challenging classical music. I get so much satisfaction from the combination of beauty and cerebral stimulation; focusing on executing the notes correctly, while lending the proper interpretation, while listening to the singer and supporting her interpretation and character in the music, and projecting all of that to an audience. Ah... the thrill of it all!
A few days later, I flew to Nashville as the guest composer for the Fisk University Jazz Ensemble Spring Concert. Dr. Gary Nash had invited me to compose a few pieces for the ensemble a few months prior to the performance. I composed and arranged 3 pieces, and Dr. Nash worked with the students to prepare for the Spring concert performance. The concert went great! The students were so kind and seemed to enjoy my music, as did the audience. Thank you to Dr. Nash and all of the students for their hospitality and hard work in preparing my music!
MAY 2010
I was invited to perform a Mother's Day concert for a private club, and decided to use the occasion to write a song in honor of mothers...that same morning! I love the song and look forward to recording it ... soon! : >
Stevie Wonder had a couple of fundraiser performances. He was the headliner for the Robin Hood Foundation Annual fundraiser in New York City. The room was packed with millionaires, billionaires and celebrities, and the foundation raised $87 million in just a few hours. Breathtaking...
Later in the month, Stevie was the headliner for an event honoring Washington DC area teachers. Another great show...
JUNE / JULY 2010
Stevie performed at the Bonnaroo Festival in Tennessee, and for the first time since I've been in the band, he wasn't the closing act. That position went to Jay-Z, who put on a great show! I had no idea that I know so many of his songs. Beyoncé and Lady Gaga were standing on the opposite side of the stage from me, but I didn't get the chance to meet either of them.
About a week later, Stevie started his European Tour! We travelled all over Europe, including cities I'd never visited before. My favorites included Paris (of course, as it's my favorite city in the world), London, Copenhagen, Verona and Berlin. There were too many cities to track in this abbreviated blog, but one of these day, my assistant will compile the awesome photos I took and upload them. Sigh... Hightlights:
• First time in Ireland, but no time to research family history (yes, Irish ancestry in my bloodline)
• Hard Rock Calling - amazing crowd, great weather, getting used to performing the skit with Stevie (check out the YouTube videos!)
• Glastonbury Festival - 250,000 people so they say. Who knows? A huge crowd indeed. Got to meet Corinne Bailey Rae and Slash!
• Performing in ancient arenas in Niemes, France and Verona, Italy. Stunning. Not only was the architecture breathtakingly beautiful, but the people were absolutely lovely! I'd never encountered my own "fans" like I did in Italy! They knew all of the bands members by name! Talk about an humbling experience. Wow...
• Monte Carlo, where the Bentley is just a commonplace car. You have a Bentley? Oh...Yawn... I am a serious foodie, and decided that I had to (I just HAD TO) grant myself the experience of dining at a fancy restaurant in Monte Carlo. I couldn't convince any of my comrades to accompany me on my culinary adventure, so I got all dolled up and went on by myself. I wanted to dine at Alain Ducasse's world famous Le Louis XV, but apparently my last minute decision was inadequate notice to reserve a table. So, I ventured to the top of the Hôtel de Paris and had a fantastic meal at Le Grill, complete with my own personal waiter and a stunning view of the French Riviera.
• Berlin - My friend, musician and composer René Decker, treated a few us to a boat tour of Berlin, and then drove us around town. Later, he invited every to come check out his band and for us to sit in on the gig. Several band members went, played a few songs and had a great time. Berlin is AWESOME!
• Copenhagen! This is the best tour story yet! And you'll have to wait to hear the details because this is the short blog. Quick take: I ran into my friend Maya Kronfeld at a piano store. Talk about serendipity!
• Norway, experienced the midnight sun. Wow!
AUGUST 2010
Stevie Wonder started his Asia tour! It was a short run, but my first time in Asia! I'd studied Japanese and Korean while in college (yes, I'm a first class nerd...), and relished the opportunity to FINALLY have the chance to visit these countries. My first impression of Japan was negative, unfortunately, as I got stuck in a customs backlog and was the recipient of some extra attention from a customs agent who seemed determined to discover that I was visiting Japan not to perform, but to visit my Japanese "boyfriend". Maybe he was flirting with me? I have no idea. I was so exhausted that all I could do was sit and wait for him to rummage through MY ENTIRE SET OF LUGGAGE as everyone else in the group waited outside for over an hour in the shuttle. Sigh...
After that, my Asia experience was incredible. Once we got to the hotel and I got a taste of the pace and energy of Tokyo, I fell in love! I can't wait to return. I was only there for about 18 hours total, but I have now placed Tokyo just below Paris in my list of favorite cities (sorry Melbourne and NYC). While in Tokyo, I had the chance to finally meet Brenda Vaughn (who also introduced me to Kaleb James...check them both out if you're in Tokyo and want to hear some great music!), and got to catch up with my rock star friend Uriah Duffy! Good times! : >
I left Tokyo (having stayed up all night hanging out with my friends) and flew to Seoul in the early morning. Upon arriving in Seoul, Ryan, Dwight and I went on a day long tour of the city. We met a man who became our defacto tour guide (another amazing story you'll have to wait for), and walked to the top of the Seoul Tower for an incredible view. We were all fatigued beyond explanation after our day, but it was well worth it. The crowd for Stevie's show in Seoul? The most amazingly enthusiastic crowd I've ever seen. They were unbelievable!
SEPTEMBER 2010
My Birthday!!! WooHoo!! I celebrated for the entire month and into October. Hey! I deserve it : > I had some performances too, but the main event was My Birthday!!! WooHoo!!
OCTOBER 2010
2 more fundraiser shows with Stevie Wonder: Toronto and New York City again, this time for Paul Newman's Hole in the Wall Gang Camps.
NOVEMBER 2010
I gave another lecture for the Keep Music Rockin' Foundation and was an emergency substitute pianist for a Women's Community Orchestra concert. I had fun playing classical music, as usual : >
DECEMBER 2010
Stevie Wonder was the artist for Salesforce.com Dream Force conference, right here in San Francisco! It was fun to have a local gig, and several of my friends and students were able to procure tickets for the concert.
And the last big show of the year (unless I get a last minute request to perform for New Year's Eve) was Stevie's Annual House Full of Toys concert. This year, most of the band only played for Stevie, so for once I had the chance to sit back and enjoy the other artists. Stevie once again honored me with being his lone accompaniment on "Ave Maria". Accompanying him is definitely one of the greatest joys in my life. I can't wait for more opportunities to play for him : >
Thank you 2010 for being a great year. Welcome 2011! Let's make it the best year yet!
God bless you all, and Happy New Year!!!
Monday, November 29, 2010
Victoria Theodore: December Performances
"It's coming 'round Christmas
they're cutting down trees
they're putting up reindeer and singing songs
of joy and peace
I wish I had a river, I could skate away on..."
– "River", Joni Mitchell
Hello Friends,
Here's a holiday treat for you:
What Child Is This
It's cold. Yes, I'm in California and I'm sayin' it. IT'S COLD!! I don't like the cold weather at all, and the dark dreary days have a muting effect even on me. But, I know how to remove the mute! I just sing songs of joy and peace! Come to a show this lovely holiday season and hear for yourself! Or you could buy a copy of my Christmas CD at one of these online vendors:
November was a fun month. I had lots of gigs, including giving a lecture for students at San Leandro High School, through the Keep Music Rockin' Foundation (which is holding its annual fundraiser featuring Lenny Williams, this coming Thursday (get your tickets here: Holidays with Lenny Williams - no ticket sales at the door!), performing with soprano Candace Johnson, performing with the Women's Community Orchestra (honestly, I do love playing classical music...), performing with Pee Wee Ellis (of James Brown fame), and even a gig on Thanksgiving night with a lovely family and a couple of VERY talented kids.
I even allotted myself time to have some non-gig related fun! I had the chance to go hear one of my favorite pianists, Hiromi, perform in concert as a solo pianist. She is my favorite young pianist. She plays with such pure joy and abandon, that it's easy to forget that she's one of the most skilled technicians around. Several of my piano students saw her as well, and I hope they were as inspired as I was. I saw a movie: "For Colored Girls", which I loved! - I even cried twice, and that's a rare occurrence for me in a movie theater, and I went to the San Francisco Auto Show...twice! On my first trip, I had a positive and a negative experience. Negative: I visited the booth of my favorite luxury car, and the booth sitter was an arrogant, snide, complete jerk, who was clearly unhappy to be have pulled the short straw and spend his afternoon fending requests from us commoners to sit in the fancy car on the other side of the velvet rope. I was so incensed by his behavior, I wrote a letter to his home dealership.
they're cutting down trees
they're putting up reindeer and singing songs
of joy and peace
I wish I had a river, I could skate away on..."
– "River", Joni Mitchell
Hello Friends,
Here's a holiday treat for you:
What Child Is This
It's cold. Yes, I'm in California and I'm sayin' it. IT'S COLD!! I don't like the cold weather at all, and the dark dreary days have a muting effect even on me. But, I know how to remove the mute! I just sing songs of joy and peace! Come to a show this lovely holiday season and hear for yourself! Or you could buy a copy of my Christmas CD at one of these online vendors:
| Victoria Theodore Store | iTunes | CD Baby | Emusic |
November was a fun month. I had lots of gigs, including giving a lecture for students at San Leandro High School, through the Keep Music Rockin' Foundation (which is holding its annual fundraiser featuring Lenny Williams, this coming Thursday (get your tickets here: Holidays with Lenny Williams - no ticket sales at the door!), performing with soprano Candace Johnson, performing with the Women's Community Orchestra (honestly, I do love playing classical music...), performing with Pee Wee Ellis (of James Brown fame), and even a gig on Thanksgiving night with a lovely family and a couple of VERY talented kids.
I even allotted myself time to have some non-gig related fun! I had the chance to go hear one of my favorite pianists, Hiromi, perform in concert as a solo pianist. She is my favorite young pianist. She plays with such pure joy and abandon, that it's easy to forget that she's one of the most skilled technicians around. Several of my piano students saw her as well, and I hope they were as inspired as I was. I saw a movie: "For Colored Girls", which I loved! - I even cried twice, and that's a rare occurrence for me in a movie theater, and I went to the San Francisco Auto Show...twice! On my first trip, I had a positive and a negative experience. Negative: I visited the booth of my favorite luxury car, and the booth sitter was an arrogant, snide, complete jerk, who was clearly unhappy to be have pulled the short straw and spend his afternoon fending requests from us commoners to sit in the fancy car on the other side of the velvet rope. I was so incensed by his behavior, I wrote a letter to his home dealership.
Positive: The people at the Nissan booth were AWESOME! Super friendly, engaging and enthusiastic about their product. They actually made me want to buy a car. And, I'll tell you a secret: my next car will DEFINITELY be an electric car. I drove the Leaf, and ... mad love! I did return again later in the week with my nephew, an avid auto enthusiastic at age 10. There was a different guy at the luxury car booth, and he was charming, funny and patient with my nephew's litany of questions. He pretty much redeemed the dealership...but they still don't get a free promo in my blog! ; >
What does get free promo are organizations like The One World Futbol Project: an organization devoted to providing a soccer ball (futbol) to children in refugee camps, UN hot spots, conflict zones, and poor villages throughout Africa, Asia, and Latin America. I met the visionary behind the project, Tim Jahnigen, backstage after being mesmerized by Narada Michael Walden's Symphonic Debut with the Oakland / East Bay Symphony. The music was beautiful, and so is the One World Futbol Project. Check out the website, and purchase a ball for a child you know and one will be donated to a child in some part of the world where childhood isn't so easy.
I have a couple of fun shows coming up in the Bay Area. Check out the calendar, and I hope to see you at a show!
Sat, Dec 4
8pm
Sausalito Signatures Holiday Celebration and Toy Drive
Featuring Kymberly Jackson - flute, Mark Daniels - guitar, Charles Quinn - bass, Karl Carter - drums
Admission: Bring a wrapped toy for donation
1915 Bridgeway Sausalito, CA 94965 | 415.332.3044 | map
Tue, Dec 7
8:00pm
Stevie Wonder
Dreamforce 2010
Moscone Convention Center
747 Howard Street, 5th Flr. San Francisco, CA 94103 | map
Buy tickets $999 pre-sale; $1,200 on-site (yeah, I know...)
Sat, Dec 11
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map
Thu, Dec 16
8pm
Holiday Jazz and Blues Show
Piedmont Piano Company
Nicolas Bearde's 4th annual holiday party! Featuring Victoria Theodore - piano, Ruth Davies - bass, Deszon Claiborne - drums, and a special appearance by vocalist Clairdee
1728 San Pablo Avenue (at 18th) Oakland, CA 94612 | 510.547.8188 | map
$25 donation requested (includes autographed EP) - please call 510-547-8188 to reserve tickets with your credit card. Nicolas invites you to stay after the concert for wine and chocolate, and to mix and mingle with the artists.
Sat, Dec 18
8pm
Stevie Wonder
House Full of Toys
Nokia Theatre L.A. Live
777 Chick Hearn Court Los Angeles, CA 9001 | 213.763.6000 | map
Sun, Dec 26
Mon, Dec 27
10pm
Darwin Tillery Orchestra, playing hits from the 70's, 80's, 90's and today
Cache Creek Casino, Club 88
14455 Highway 16 Brooks, CA 95606| 888.772.2243 | map
Please check out my web site to see a full, up-to-date listing of when and where I'm performing. I'd love to see you at one of my performances. Please come say hello!
What does get free promo are organizations like The One World Futbol Project: an organization devoted to providing a soccer ball (futbol) to children in refugee camps, UN hot spots, conflict zones, and poor villages throughout Africa, Asia, and Latin America. I met the visionary behind the project, Tim Jahnigen, backstage after being mesmerized by Narada Michael Walden's Symphonic Debut with the Oakland / East Bay Symphony. The music was beautiful, and so is the One World Futbol Project. Check out the website, and purchase a ball for a child you know and one will be donated to a child in some part of the world where childhood isn't so easy.
I have a couple of fun shows coming up in the Bay Area. Check out the calendar, and I hope to see you at a show!
Sat, Dec 4
8pm
Sausalito Signatures Holiday Celebration and Toy Drive
Featuring Kymberly Jackson - flute, Mark Daniels - guitar, Charles Quinn - bass, Karl Carter - drums
Admission: Bring a wrapped toy for donation
1915 Bridgeway Sausalito, CA 94965 | 415.332.3044 | map
Tue, Dec 7
8:00pm
Stevie Wonder
Dreamforce 2010
Moscone Convention Center
747 Howard Street, 5th Flr. San Francisco, CA 94103 | map
Buy tickets $999 pre-sale; $1,200 on-site (yeah, I know...)
Sat, Dec 11
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map
Thu, Dec 16
8pm
Holiday Jazz and Blues Show
Piedmont Piano Company
Nicolas Bearde's 4th annual holiday party! Featuring Victoria Theodore - piano, Ruth Davies - bass, Deszon Claiborne - drums, and a special appearance by vocalist Clairdee
1728 San Pablo Avenue (at 18th) Oakland, CA 94612 | 510.547.8188 | map
$25 donation requested (includes autographed EP) - please call 510-547-8188 to reserve tickets with your credit card. Nicolas invites you to stay after the concert for wine and chocolate, and to mix and mingle with the artists.
Sat, Dec 18
8pm
Stevie Wonder
House Full of Toys
Nokia Theatre L.A. Live
777 Chick Hearn Court Los Angeles, CA 9001 | 213.763.6000 | map
Sun, Dec 26
Mon, Dec 27
10pm
Darwin Tillery Orchestra, playing hits from the 70's, 80's, 90's and today
Cache Creek Casino, Club 88
14455 Highway 16 Brooks, CA 95606| 888.772.2243 | map
Please check out my web site to see a full, up-to-date listing of when and where I'm performing. I'd love to see you at one of my performances. Please come say hello!
Monday, November 01, 2010
Victoria Theodore: November Performances
"So grant us peace, Jesus, grant us peace
Move our hearts to hear a single beat
between alibis and enemies tonight..."
– "Gratitude", Nichole Nordeman
Hello Friends,
Those are the lyrics from a stanza in one of my favorite songs. In this time of political contentiousness, I pray for us all to move past our "alibis" and for "enemies" to overcome their differences and agree to uphold standards of decency, kindness, thoughtfulness and maturity in the political arena. Too many of our political leaders display behavior for which children would be chided. Let's demand a higher standard! I urge everyone to vote. Whether you're a Tea Party activist, an advocate for legalization of marijuana, a Libertarian, a Green Party Member, Republican, Democrat, an independent or some other label, please vote! Respect your right to vote. Tomorrow is the mid-term election. Please please please please VOTE!
And now, back to the music...
In October, I had the chance to do a show with Stevie Wonder in New York City! I was only in town for a couple of days, but it was good to be back in "my" city, to spend some time with friends, to watch my friend Eisa Davis perform (check her out!), and have a couple of trips on the subway. You gotta love the NYC subway system. Whenever I ride the subway in NYC, I think to myself "BART! For real?? We can't do better?" Sigh...
I have a couple of fun shows coming up in the Bay Area. Check out the calendar, and I hope to see you at a show!
Fri, Nov 5
7pm - 9pm
Heart and Soul Jazz Event
Heart and Soul Center
A spectacular concert featuring 3 Bay area artists, Nicolas Bearde and the Right Groove, Branice McKenzie, and Pyhllis Yvonne Stickney celebrating the Center's 1st Anniversary.
959 - 33rd St at San Pablo Oakland, CA 94608 | 925.838.8144 | map
$30 advance / $35 at the door
Sat, Nov 6
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map
Thu, Nov 11
6pm
Candace Johnson, soprano
7th Annual Bay Area Achievers Awards Banquet
Hilton Oakland Airport Hotel
1 Hegenberger Road Oakland, CA 94621 | 510.635.5000 | map
$60
Fri, Nov 12
9pm - 12am
Paragon Restaurant & Bar
At the Claremont Resort & Spa
41 Tunnel Road Berkeley, CA 94705 | 510.549.8585 | map
Sat, Nov 13
9pm
Soul Wide World
Enrico’s Restaurant
I'll be sitting in on their Wonder Tribute set!
504 Broadway San Francisco, CA 94133 | 415.982.6223 |
map
Sat, Nov 20
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map
Sat, Nov 27
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map
Please check out my web site to see a full, up-to-date listing of when and where I'm performing. I'd love to see you at one of my performances. Please come say hello!
Move our hearts to hear a single beat
between alibis and enemies tonight..."
– "Gratitude", Nichole Nordeman
Hello Friends,
Those are the lyrics from a stanza in one of my favorite songs. In this time of political contentiousness, I pray for us all to move past our "alibis" and for "enemies" to overcome their differences and agree to uphold standards of decency, kindness, thoughtfulness and maturity in the political arena. Too many of our political leaders display behavior for which children would be chided. Let's demand a higher standard! I urge everyone to vote. Whether you're a Tea Party activist, an advocate for legalization of marijuana, a Libertarian, a Green Party Member, Republican, Democrat, an independent or some other label, please vote! Respect your right to vote. Tomorrow is the mid-term election. Please please please please VOTE!
And now, back to the music...
In October, I had the chance to do a show with Stevie Wonder in New York City! I was only in town for a couple of days, but it was good to be back in "my" city, to spend some time with friends, to watch my friend Eisa Davis perform (check her out!), and have a couple of trips on the subway. You gotta love the NYC subway system. Whenever I ride the subway in NYC, I think to myself "BART! For real?? We can't do better?" Sigh...
I have a couple of fun shows coming up in the Bay Area. Check out the calendar, and I hope to see you at a show!
Fri, Nov 5
7pm - 9pm
Heart and Soul Jazz Event
Heart and Soul Center
A spectacular concert featuring 3 Bay area artists, Nicolas Bearde and the Right Groove, Branice McKenzie, and Pyhllis Yvonne Stickney celebrating the Center's 1st Anniversary.
959 - 33rd St at San Pablo Oakland, CA 94608 | 925.838.8144 | map
$30 advance / $35 at the door
Sat, Nov 6
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map
Thu, Nov 11
6pm
Candace Johnson, soprano
7th Annual Bay Area Achievers Awards Banquet
Hilton Oakland Airport Hotel
1 Hegenberger Road Oakland, CA 94621 | 510.635.5000 | map
$60
Fri, Nov 12
9pm - 12am
Paragon Restaurant & Bar
At the Claremont Resort & Spa
41 Tunnel Road Berkeley, CA 94705 | 510.549.8585 | map
Sat, Nov 13
9pm
Soul Wide World
Enrico’s Restaurant
I'll be sitting in on their Wonder Tribute set!
504 Broadway San Francisco, CA 94133 | 415.982.6223 |
map
Sat, Nov 20
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map
Sat, Nov 27
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map
Please check out my web site to see a full, up-to-date listing of when and where I'm performing. I'd love to see you at one of my performances. Please come say hello!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Being creative...
I've been to Toronto, and back, to NYC and Baltimore, and back, in the past several days. Toronto and NYC were fundraisers with SW, and I had a great time in both cities. The weather in Toronto was chilly, but gorgeous. I had a lovely meal late at night (thank GOD for restaurants that serve REAL food until midnight!), and otherwise, spent my time practicing in my hotel room (NERD!). And NYC? You do know that I love New York! The night before the show, I had the chance to see my friend Eisa perform at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and then hang out with her, meeting some new friends at the cast party. After stuffing myself silly with some delicious Italian food at Fornino Park Slope restaurant in Brooklyn, I headed back to Manhattan for a late night hang with my friends Amy, Marlene, Jonathan and Joel. No performing, but a heap of talent at the table. Good times!
The day of the show, I headed to Steinway Hall and had a triste with a Steinway Grand, and then headed back to hang out with my friends Michael and Elaine. Then off to the fundraiser, where I got to meet Hillary Hahn, Renée Zellweger, Bette Midler, John Mellencamp, Keb' Mo, Lyle Lovett. I didn't actually get to meet Meryl Streep, but she was there too. Unfortunately, my camera has died, and I'm too cheap to go buy a new one, since my phone contract expires in December - I mean, I'm going to get a new phone that has a camera built in it, so, why buy another camera??? Thankfully, my friend Katherine was there to take a photo of me with John Mellencamp.
I have no gigs scheduled (at the moment) in the next two weeks. This is a perfect opportunity for me to move past my habits, procrastinations, distractions, excuses, etc., and GET TO WORK ON MY PROJECT!! I set a goal back in late August of having a project finished by the end of December. I've done some writing, but have I finished anything? Nooooo! So, please send me your encouragement and support as I get focused, stop being distracted by EVERYTHING in life, and get this thing done! I will not be coming online in the next two weeks. After that, hopefully, I'll be able to get back to regular blogging (as I've been derelict since early spring). Until then, Blessings & Music, to you all!
xoxoxoxo
The day of the show, I headed to Steinway Hall and had a triste with a Steinway Grand, and then headed back to hang out with my friends Michael and Elaine. Then off to the fundraiser, where I got to meet Hillary Hahn, Renée Zellweger, Bette Midler, John Mellencamp, Keb' Mo, Lyle Lovett. I didn't actually get to meet Meryl Streep, but she was there too. Unfortunately, my camera has died, and I'm too cheap to go buy a new one, since my phone contract expires in December - I mean, I'm going to get a new phone that has a camera built in it, so, why buy another camera??? Thankfully, my friend Katherine was there to take a photo of me with John Mellencamp.
I have no gigs scheduled (at the moment) in the next two weeks. This is a perfect opportunity for me to move past my habits, procrastinations, distractions, excuses, etc., and GET TO WORK ON MY PROJECT!! I set a goal back in late August of having a project finished by the end of December. I've done some writing, but have I finished anything? Nooooo! So, please send me your encouragement and support as I get focused, stop being distracted by EVERYTHING in life, and get this thing done! I will not be coming online in the next two weeks. After that, hopefully, I'll be able to get back to regular blogging (as I've been derelict since early spring). Until then, Blessings & Music, to you all!
xoxoxoxo
Friday, October 01, 2010
Victoria Theodore: October Performances
"Out of the night that covers me
Black as the pit from pole to pole
I thank whatever gods may be
for my unconquerable soul..."
– W. E. Henley
Hello Friends,
That poem ("Invictus") is as close to a Halloween poem as I dare venture. It's dark, yet empowering, intense, yet hopeful.
September has come and gone, and although my birthday has passed, I'm still celebrating. One the the highlights was having the opportunity to hear Dr. Cornel West speak in San Francisco. It was a blessing to be able to listen to someone with such a great mind speak of humility, service, freedom and love. Wow! What a way to celebrate my birthday!
A friend of mine recently told me that she taught her kids to celebrate their birthday by one extra day per year of life. So, ahem, I'll be celebrating a while longer yet! You can read about my celebratory adventures in the blog entry below.
You can read my latest blogs here:
Birthday girl!!
More birthday celebrating!
Remember Them: Champions for Humanity
OCTOBER 2010
Sat, Oct 2
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map
Sun, Oct 10
9pm - 10pm
Keno Mapp & Heart Touch Rock / Funk
The 11th Annual SF Decompression HEAT THE STREET FAIRE
You gotta come see this! I don't get to rock out that often...
Victoria Theodore, Keys; Angelo Moore, Sax & Therimin; Bill Beninghof, Electric Violin; Uriah Duffy, Bass; Erik Bleyle, Bass; Uncle Funky, Guitar; Nicholas Massaro, Guitar; Zachary Krakov, Drums
Cafe Cocomo • 650 Indiana St. San Francisco, CA 94107 | 415.824.6910
Public Entrance: 19th St. & Minnesota St. San Francisco, CA 94612 | 510.547.8188 | map
$20
Sat, Oct 23
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map
Please check out my web site to see a full, up-to-date listing of when and where I'm performing. I'd love to see you at one of my performances. Please come say hello!
Black as the pit from pole to pole
I thank whatever gods may be
for my unconquerable soul..."
– W. E. Henley
Hello Friends,
That poem ("Invictus") is as close to a Halloween poem as I dare venture. It's dark, yet empowering, intense, yet hopeful.
September has come and gone, and although my birthday has passed, I'm still celebrating. One the the highlights was having the opportunity to hear Dr. Cornel West speak in San Francisco. It was a blessing to be able to listen to someone with such a great mind speak of humility, service, freedom and love. Wow! What a way to celebrate my birthday!
A friend of mine recently told me that she taught her kids to celebrate their birthday by one extra day per year of life. So, ahem, I'll be celebrating a while longer yet! You can read about my celebratory adventures in the blog entry below.
You can read my latest blogs here:
Birthday girl!!
More birthday celebrating!
Remember Them: Champions for Humanity
OCTOBER 2010
Sat, Oct 2
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map
Sun, Oct 10
9pm - 10pm
Keno Mapp & Heart Touch Rock / Funk
The 11th Annual SF Decompression HEAT THE STREET FAIRE
You gotta come see this! I don't get to rock out that often...
Victoria Theodore, Keys; Angelo Moore, Sax & Therimin; Bill Beninghof, Electric Violin; Uriah Duffy, Bass; Erik Bleyle, Bass; Uncle Funky, Guitar; Nicholas Massaro, Guitar; Zachary Krakov, Drums
Cafe Cocomo • 650 Indiana St. San Francisco, CA 94107 | 415.824.6910
Public Entrance: 19th St. & Minnesota St. San Francisco, CA 94612 | 510.547.8188 | map
$20
Sat, Oct 23
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map
Please check out my web site to see a full, up-to-date listing of when and where I'm performing. I'd love to see you at one of my performances. Please come say hello!
More birthday celebrating!
Wednesday night, I was taken to San Francisco to hear Cornel West speak. Of course, I've been aware of Brother West for many years, but am embarrassed to admit I've never read his books and had never seen him speak in person. That egregious mistake has been righted. I must say that he is truly one of the most brilliant people I've ever encountered and one of the most masterful teachers I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing. His command of information and language and philosophy and history and music., etc., is astonishing. He has become my icon of erudition. He recited lines from poets and philosophers, from Socrates to Sly Stone; he imparted pithy observations about the nature of human choice in the context of fighting for freedom and basic rights (my favorite quote of the night: "Indifference to evil is more insidious than evil itself!" WOW! So I bought one of his books, "Living and Loving Out Loud". And will be buying more, I'm certain.
Following the conversation between moderator Belvie Rooks and Professor West, several poets graced us with their art, including Drew Dellinger, Scorpio Blue, Danielle Drake-Burnett, and Seasunz. I was truly blessed and inspired by these brilliant minds and am ever more fired up to further enhance my own education and artistic expression. Live long learning. Yes!
After the night's events, I was treated to dinner at a Persian restaurant. It was late when we arrived, so they had already run out of Tabuleh (one of my favorite salads), but the other food was delicious. I don't remember the name of the restaurant, sorry!
And the party continues! More details later... YAY!!!
Friday, September 24, 2010
Birthday girl!!
Friday, September 24, was my birthday. Yay!!! But I started celebrating on Wednesday night. Yay!!! A college friend was in town, and since his wife wasn't able to attend (2 month old and 2 year old in tow), he offered me a ticket to see the Black Eyed Peas! That was a fun show! Lots of great, danceable tunes, Fergie sang great, and the dancers were off the hook!
Thursday night, Brian McKnight in a musical, "It's Cheaper to Keep Her". Unbelievable voice, and funny script.
Friday night, I gathered with a large group of family and friends for dinner at a Nepalese restaurant (ever, the foodie, I love having new food experiences and am a big fan of ethnic cuisine) in Berkeley called Taste of the Himalayas. Delicious!
After dinner, we all went dancing. No, not the typical "go to the club, get a drink and groove to the latest Hot 100 hits" type of dancing: we went to learn to FOXTROT! As you know, I'm a professional dancer in my dreams, and I've been crazy for dance classes lately. In my search for the right school (read: cheap with convenient class times), I came across the Linden Dance School. They offer free (YES! FREE) dance classes and social dancing afterwards. So, I dragged my friends and family to the studio, and we all learned the dance. It was so much fun! Even the non-dancers (ahem...I mean novices) had a great time.
Next stop: my house for karaoke...or something like that. By the time everyone came to my house, it was getting late, people were still slightly full from dinner, and worn out by the foxtrot, hustle, salsa, merengue, and bachata (yes, we did all of that in the social dancing segment), and only a few had the energy to sing while I played. But we had cake and good conversation, which made up for the lack of musical inspiration.
On Saturday, I drove up to the Lake Tahoe area with a few family members. One of my friends has a cabin (really, a beautiful contemporary house, decorated in a rustic style) in the mountains. This was just what I needed: a few hours of solitude, serenity and nature. I actually did not do any work for 2 full days! Full confession...I actually did some poetry writing for about 3 hours, but come on! That's pretty good down time for me!
I watched a few movies: "Why Did I Get Married Too" - UGH! Awful; "The Departed" - Pretty good, but more violent than I prefer; and "Billy Elliot" - OMG!!! Now on my list of favorite movies!!! WOW! Of course, it's about a kid who's passionate about dance. I love movies about kids overcoming obstacles and I love dance. Perfect combo!
Tuesday night, I was treated to dinner at Bocanova in Oakland. Yummy!!! The highlights of the meals were the delicious quinoa salad with avocado and corn, and the seared scallops with green curry sauce. Both were rapturous and caused our eyes to roll back in our heads. But the big surprise of the night? The chocolate bread pudding. Scratching your head, thinking "well, of course that was good"? Here's the rub: I've never liked bread pudding, and despite being a girly-girl, am not all that great a chocolate fan. I enjoy a nice, dark chocolate from time to time, but a box of chocolates will last 6 months in my refrigerator - and no, I'm not exaggerating. But this was bread pudding made with a croissant (one of my favorite guilty pleasures) and Mexican dark chocolate. This dish should be on the list of mortal sins; right alongside lust and gluttony in the lexicon should be a photo of this dish. Deeevine!
And the party continues! More details later... YAY!!!
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
Victoria Theodore: September Performances
September....It's amazing how I can have the best of intentions, and still not do what I planned to do. Alas, still no blog update on the fabulous tour I just completed. I have so many stories to tell, so much joy to impart...but getting to it. Wow! I need a world where I only need 2 hours of sleep and have 30 hours in a day. But alas, I will have to find a way to make it work! Yes! Always positive and optimistic...
Here are a few upcoming gigs. I hope to see you!
Sat, Sept 118:30pm - 11:30pm515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map
7-9pmIt's also open mic! Sing with me! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me! Any style!1366 Powell Street Emeryville, CA 94608-2506 | 510.428.9334 | map
2pm - 5pm2500 San Pablo Avenue Berkeley , CA 94702 | 510.548.5198 | map
8:30pm - 11:30pm515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 |
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